Tony McFadden provides an overview of the key things to note on Saturday.
Kalpana sets the clear standard on ratings
A key feature of the Champions Day card is the number of races containing a horse well clear on Timeform's ratings. There's a form standout in the Long Distance Cup (Trawlerman), Two-Year-Old Conditions Stakes (Words of Truth), QEII Stakes (Field of Gold) and Fillies & Mares Stakes (Kalpana). Most of those contenders are, understandably, short-priced favourites, though there's a bit more juice in the price of Kalpana who was a dominant winner of last year's renewal, which contributes to her having Timeform's Horses For Courses Flag.
Kalpana hasn't won since Champions Day but has looked as good as ever this term, even improving on last season's form - by Timeform's reckoning - when chasing home Calandagan in the King George back at Ascot in July.
She hasn't been at that level in two subsequent starts, but she was far from disgraced when seventh in the Arc a couple of weeks ago, particularly as she forfeited ground by racing wide and was forced even wider entering the straight.
The form she showed in the King George - when two and a half lengths in advance of prolific Group 1 winner Rebel's Romance - sets the clear standard and she heads Timeform's weight-adjusted ratings by 6 lb.
Ratings highlight strength of Champion Stakes
Saturday's Champion Stakes is a strong contender for race of the season as it has attracted three of Timeform's five highest-rated horses in Europe.
Only Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Daryz (131) has a higher Timeform rating than this year's Champion Stakes favourite Ombudsman (130), while chief rivals Calandagan (129) and Delacroix (129) have also shown form verging on top-class.
Since Champions Day moved to Ascot, the only other years when three horses had a Timeform rating of at least 129 heading into the race were in 2012 and 2016. The 2012 edition was won by the legendary Frankel and also featured the previous year's winner, Cirrus des Aigles, and the Eclipse winner, Nathaniel. In 2016, Irish Champion Stakes winner Almanzor fended off stiff competition from Arc heroine Found and the previous season's Irish Derby winner Jack Hobbs.
The average Timeform rating of the three highest-rated contenders this year stands at 129.3, and that compares extremely favourably to last year, when it was 125.7, and two seasons ago, when it was 124.7.
Daryz posted the best performance in Europe when winning the Arc, but it would be little surprise were an even better effort needed to win the Champion Stakes, such is the stiff competition. Perhaps Ombudsman, who narrowly heads the ratings based on his impressive Prince of Wales's Stakes victory, is best placed to deliver that top-class display. He was beaten by Delacroix in the Eclipse, which came only 17 days after his big effort at Royal Ascot, but he reversed that form in style in the Juddmonte International.
King's Hand a big improver for Prescott
Even by Sir Mark Prescott's high standards, a 40% strike rate with handicap debutants in British Flat races this year is some going.
Prescott has had ten winners from 25 runners with such types and, even though he's renowned for his exploits with handicappers stepping up in trip, you'd still have turned a healthy profit of £13.74 backing those handicap debutants to £1 level stakes.
Prescott has fair claims of enhancing that record in the nine-and-a-half-furlong handicap (18:00) at Wolverhampton with King's Hand. He failed to make an impact in maiden and novice company as a two-year-old but was kept to trips of seven and a half furlongs or shorter and, like many from his stable have done in the past, should flourish granted this more suitable test of stamina.
He certainly has the pedigree to be better than a lowly opening handicap mark of 66 given he's by the top-class Kingman out of Entity, a half-sister to Group 1 winner Integral out of another Group 1 winner Echelon. King's Hand, who is a brother to a smart sort in Existent, has been gelded since last seen and could prove a different proposition on his belated return.
More from Sporting Life
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
